In support of the Declaration of Climate Emergency made by the Bishops of Massachusetts, the Epiphany Sustainability & Creation Care ministry invites you to:
1. Pray
God made all creation good. And God made a covenant with us humans that we are the stewards of this creation. This stewardship is both a personal and systemic responsibility.
Our prayers are based in a language of faith. There is no talk of living a life of faith in this world without discussing climate change. We have no home other than this earth—this is our home.
2. Learn
The Creation Care and Environmental Justice ministry seeks to convene conversations and educational events. And we invite all members of this congregation to learn: what actions we can take to fight climate change (both in our own lives and in the global community); and how tackling the climate crisis connects with efforts to alleviate poverty, fight racial and social injustice, and defend human life.
3. Act
The bishops urge high-consuming people to cut back sharply on their use of fossil fuels and to support each other in changing their patterns of consumption and waste, and the Creation Care and Environmental Justice ministry will generate opportunities for parishioners to do so.
We will promote efforts to restore ecosystems, soil, habitat, and biodiversity — such as making space for wildlife near our homes, a practice that has been called “reconciliation ecology.”
We will identify and find ways to assist those in our communities who are most vulnerable to climate disasters, and invite members of the parish to participate. We will encourage collaborations between diocesan groups at work on interrelated justice concerns, such as racial justice, food security, and creation care.
4. Advocate
Because the scale and pace of the climate crisis require systemic change, we will participate in local, statewide, and national efforts to make a swift and just transition to clean, renewable energy and to support vulnerable communities. We will join with advocacy efforts of such groups as: Interfaith Power and Light; GreenRoots in Chelsea; the Network for Social Justice; and Alternatives for Community and Environment in Roxbury. Parish members are actively engaging with these groups and working locally with people in low-income communities and communities of color to effect tangible change in these communities.
